What Is This, A Shoujo Manga?
by Scarlet Alapaap
Summary: Their first meeting was definitely one for the books. AU where Tae is a college freshman, and Gintoki does odd jobs to get by.
1. Not All Surprises Are Pleasant

**Chapter One**

 _ **Not All Surprises Are Pleasant Surprises, Okay**_

It was supposed to be _her_ day, not _their_ day, because Shimura Tae turned 19 today, and she had some of her college friends over to celebrate. So why was she in this very compromising situation again?

Tae's senses alerted her that something was amiss when Oryou and Hanako suddenly ran behind her after the group sang her a birthday song. She felt a handkerchief cover her eyes, and felt another cloth circling her wrists as her hands were swiftly placed behind the chair's backrest. _'This is wrong in so many levels,'_ she cried in her mind, and she actually felt like crying when she heard the group giggling as their fading footsteps indicated their leave. The door closed, and Tae found herself bound and blindfolded in her own unit.

Happy flipping birthday, Shimura Tae, she cursed, as she tried to get herself free.

The knot was too tight, and it was beginning to burn her wrists as she struggled to untagle it. In the middle of struggling, Tae managed to hear the door open and the knob click. Her senses grew even more alert, but whoever that was, she wasn't going to let them know that she was actually fearing for her life.

"This isn't funny, you guys!" she yelled, still freeing herself from the bonds, "I swear, if I manage to escape from being tied up, I'm going to send you all flying to your respective houses, and _I mean it._ "

But there wasn't any sound of giggling, or even a, 'Sorry, Otae-chan, we'll release you.' All she could hear aside from her chair rocking were heavy footfalls coming closer. Tae gulped.

"Oryou-chan? Is that you? Because if it is the—"

She was cut off by the tips of two fingers touching her lips. Tae bristled at the touch. Surely Oryou wouldn't do this to her.

"Unfortunately, Oryou-chan's not here anymore to save you, so until then, you're under my care," came a deep, satin-smooth voice in front of her.

Tae could feel beads of sweat forming at the side of her head, but she pretended she wasn't scared or nervous or anything.

' _What on earth did I get myself into this time?'_ Tae scowled. "The hell are you?"

She felt two hands untangling the knot of her blindfold and with a swift movement, the handkerchief was gone. Before her stood a young man, dressed impeccably in all black—kind of like those police uniforms she saw often—and wearing a smug smirk. Tae's brows furrowed in confusion.

The policeman (or whatever this guy was, really) was handsome—Tae could give him that—but handsome or not, he was clearly trespassing private property, and not only that, the naughty grin plastered on his face spelled trouble with a capital t, italicized, bold, and underlined. Tae's suspicions grew even more when he took his black jacket off and let it fall on the floor. She glared at the stranger, but this didn't intimidate him one bit.

"Names aren't important, young lady, because after this," he paused, hands on the last button of his vest, "even you'll forget your name."

Tae couldn't help but cringe at the corny line. "Are you serious?"

The young man's hands fell on his side, as he shot her a look of disbelief. "What?"

She sighed and shook her head. "What I meant was, are you really serious about stripping in front me, an innocent and naive college girl, bound on a chair with no hope of escape, because if this is your idea of a good time? Because if you're really going to that, I'm going to scream so loud until my neighbours come barging in to save me. I'll even frame you for exhibitionism and have you arrested with a restraining order."

The threat didn't work, she could tell. After all, the young man only scoffed, as if he wasn't buying her statement at all.

"Really? You think you can do that?"

Tae grinned. "Try me."

So the young man did. He moved quickly to straddle her, and his hands immediately flew to the backrest, cornering her. Her head tilted up to meet his searing stare, and she huffed. Tae inhaled sharply, preparing herself for the bloodiest scream she'd ever do in nineteen years, but when she was about to let it out, one of his hands flew to her mouth, and only a muffled whimper escaped her lips.

"Okay, okay! I get it! Jeez!" he whined as he removed himself in front of her. "You're no fun! This isn't fun! And this uniform I borrowed is hot and doesn't even fit me perfectly!" The young man removed his vest completely and threw it on the couch. He slumped unceremoniously and leaned far back until his head reached the top of the couch's backrest. "I'm only doing this because I need to pay my bills, and this is what I get!"

The young lass shook her head and clicked her tongue. "Well, why did you even bother?"

The young man leaned over the coffee table to cut himself a slice of cake ( _'Rude,'_ Otae thought). "A man's gotta make a living to support himself for the rest of the year, ya know." He paused to eat a small portion of the sliced cake and smiled. "Ooh, it's strawberry! My favourite!"

Tae hissed. "You're welcome. Now, untie me."

But he was too consumed with his sweet treat that he was cutting himself another slice ( _'Really rude!'_ ). She could only sigh.

"Who are you anyway, and who sent you to _ruin_ my 19th birthday?" the young lass made sure that the word 'ruin' dripped with so much poison.

The young man looked up to face her. "The name's Sakata Gintoki, but you can call me Gin-san, for short. And your friend, Oryou-chan, paid me to," he lifted his free hand to mimic the symbol for quote, "'give you a good time,' on your special day."

Tae snorted and rolled her eyes. "Figures," she mumbled. _'She's going to suffer as soon as I get out of here.'_

"But you know what, it's okay that nothing happened. I can't really dance to save my life," he shared nonchalantly. "I can sing, though. I like to think that I'm a pretty decent singer. Wanna hear me sing instead?"

She frowned. "No thanks, really. Just not stripping in front of me is already a gift."

Gintoki shot her a blank look. "You really are no fun."

"Yeah, and you think you're fun?" she scoffed, "anyway, can you please untie me?"

But her request fell on deaf ears.

"Hey, may I have some of the tuna sashimi? I don't really eat that often."

' _Is this punk ignoring me on purpose?'_ her frown deepened. "Sure. But didn't you just finish eating dessert?"

He huffed. "I'm a grown man, now; don't tell me what to do."

"Well, you're in my unit so don't use that tone on me."

Gintoki only frowned and shrugged. Tae shook her head and clicked her tongue.

"Anyway, I've been telling you this since earlier, but _please_ untie me," she quickly searched for his name in her memory, "...Gin-san."

The young man's ears perked up at the sound of his nickname. "Oh, I'm sorry. I must've missed it with all the food crying out for me to eat them." He lamely explained. Gintoki left his plate on the coffee table and stood up from the couch to walk behind Tae. In only a matter of seconds, Tae's hands were released from its bonds, and she could feel blood circulating around the area again.

"There," he said.

Tae opened and closed her hands repeatedly, a relieved look painted on her face. "Thank you, Gin-san."

Gintoki moved in front of her, smiling. "Well, I gotta go now since there's nothing going on anyway, and I'm really tired now."

Her face brightened when an idea struck her. "Hey, you can bring some of the sashimi home. And fine, maybe another slice of my strawberry cake, too."

Gintoki's face lit up at the prospect of free food, making him appear younger than he was, and for a moment there, Tae thought he looked cute.

"Are you sure?" he asked, hope written all over his face.

She giggled and nodded. So the young man helped himself.

She saw him off by the door, holding it open for him like the good hostess that she was. "Thanks for tonight, I guess?"

He shook his head. "No _thank you_!" He said as he lifted up the bento he was given. "Oh, and since today's your birthday, I guess I have to give you something, too."

"Oh no, Gin-san! You don't really have to!"

Gintoki fished for something inside his police uniform's breast pocket. "Hold out your hand."

The young lass was puzzled, but she did was she was told anyway. He placed a piece of crumpled paper on her open palm.

"Happy birthday!" the young man greeted her, grinning like a child, before he turned to leave.

Tae straightened the paper she was handed, and read the words written on it.

"Gin-chan, the Freelance Man," she mumbled, and her nose crinkled shortly. "What a stupid slogan."

* * *

There you go, my first Gintama fanfic (and probably my last, idk) featuring my (secret) OTP in the series (even though I actually have a crap ton of OTPs in Gintama hahaha). Please tell me what you think! :D

I know it's supposed to be Odd Jobs Gin-chan, but I just wanted to make it corny. Hoho.


	2. The World Is Not As Big As You Think

**Chapter Two**

 _ **The World Is Not So Big If You Think About It**_

"Thank you so much for your help, Shimura-san! You see, the model I enlisted for today's figure drawing class can be a pain in the neck with all the demands he's been asking of me."

Hasegawa Taizou, figure drawing professor to freshmen and sophomore students, summoned Tae (reliable student, his words) for some errand before their class, so now, here she was, exiting the college cafeteria with a plastic bag containing a box of coffee milk and coffee bread inside. Whoever this demanding model was, he sure liked his coffee very much, she could tell. She briefly thought of buying him some coffee candy and coffee-flavoured ice cream, too, if he really wanted coffee so much, but there wasn't any listed on the paper that her professor gave her. Besides, her professor didn't even give her _that_ much money for other stuff.

She glanced at the glass door of the faculty room to check if he was inside, but she couldn't spot her professor despite wearing his sunglasses all the time. Tae slid the door open, and decided to just leave the snacks and change on his table since she still needed to prepare for their class.

Inside her teacher's cubicle, Tae spotted a familiar clump of silver hair sticking out from the backrest of Taizou's chair.

"Gin-san?"

The chair turned, revealing an overly comfortable Gintoki, pinky digging deep into his right nostril as if nosepicking in public was an ordinary habit. His eyes widened for a bit, before settling to its usual relaxed state. "You're the girl from a few weeks ago, right?"

She hummed in acknowledgement as she placed the plastic bag on her professor's desk. "What are you doing here anyway? I mean, I don't remember seeing you around the building."

Gintoki removed his pinky inside his nose and blew the offending booger away and far from where the young lass was standing. "Well, I'm in a middle of a job, but I'm just taking a break. What about you? I'm pretty sure you're not an instructor here."

"That's because I'm a student here. Anyway, I've to go. My class starts in a minute."

The young man swiveled the chair, his back turned to Tae, and waved his hand. "'Kay, study well and stay in school!"

Tae snorted in response.

* * *

Their class had just settled inside the college's drawing room, and Tae busied herself with preparing her stuff for today's drawing session. Taizou informed them last week that today's model would be male, unlike in the previous weeks where the models that came in were all females. This of course, delighted the girls in the class because _finally_ a naked man would stand in front of them without them needing to take their clothes off (you know what that meant). Pretty good deal. Tae wasn't actually that excited. For one, she saw his brother naked several times already, and two, the male anatomy wasn't really something she enjoyed drawing because it had less curves and more planes. Planes were really hard to shade. She could go on ranting about today's session, but if she wanted to pass this class and take advanced figure drawing classes, then she really had no choice but to go through with this. The young lass sighed.

Her girl classmates were obviosuly giddy today. They were mumbling things about how they hoped the model would be easy on the eyes and giggling like high school teenage girls during sleepovers. Their guy classmates weren't too delighted, for obvious reasons (except maybe for a handful of them). And Tae was just wanting to get this over with.

The hinges of the drawing room's door creaked. When Taizou entered the classroom, everyone looked to his direction. He smiled.

"Good afternoon, class! Like scheduled since last week, we'll be having a male nude model come with us today. He'll be entering the room shortly, and when he does, please treat him well." He informed them. "Let me remind you of a few rules: no ogling, no taking pictures, no talking to the model unless it's his break, and definitely no attempts of hooking up with the nude model. That's not what they came here for, okay?"

Tae rolled her eyes at the last rule. Of course, that was a given. Unless that really happened way back?

A knock on the door alerted everyone of another presence outside. She could hear some of her classmates giggling from behind her. She shook her head as she sharpened her pencil with her cutter.

"Ah, he's already here," the instructor mumbled as he turned the knob. "Everyone, please treat the model well."

' _Like how would we treat him well, tell me,'_ she challenged in her thoughts.

"The model will take five minute breaks in between fifteen minutes, so make sure you mark your papers well, okay?"

"Yes, sir." Everyone chorused.

Tae had just finished sharpening her pencil when she heard her seatmate whispering to another classmate about how good-looking and toned the nude model was. She could make out words like, 'nice body,' and 'chiseled.' _'Must be that good-looking huh?'_

But when her eyes looked up and saw the naked man atop the circle platform in the middle of the room, Tae wanted to gouge her eyes out and drink bleach to rid herself of what she guessed would be burned in her memories for a very long time.

"Gin-san?!" she hissed under her breath. Her eyes were wide like saucers and her jaw metaphorically fell on the floor. _'So he was the demanding nude model I bought those coffee-flavoured food for?!'_

As if the naked man heard her, Gintoki's eyes wandered towards her seat, and if her eyes weren't lying, she saw him pale when their gazes met. He quickly averted his gaze. So did she.

Tae felt someone's hand on her knee.

"You know him, Tae-chan? I heard you whisper a name." Her classmate said, a teasing grin painted on her face.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "You must be hearing things, Ishida-san." _'Someone's being nosy today.'_

When she was sure that her classmate's attention had been diverted to the nude model before them, Tae sighed. This was going to be the longest three hours of her sorry life.

* * *

On her way out of the room, Tae spotted Gintoki hidden behind the door as he fixed himself up. It was amusing to think that after exposing himself in front of strangers (save her, she guessed) for three solid hours, he'd be by a corner, barely seen by many, dressing up. Maybe he really didn't want to do this, but had to do it for the money?

She briefly considered patting him on the back to get his attention, but decided to remain a foot away from him and called him. "Uh, hey, Gin-san."

Said young man turned his head to look at her, but quickly looked away. "Hm?"

"I... didn't think we'd meet again... and in this kind of circumstance, too." Tae let out an awkward chuckle.

She could see his face covered in pink as he tried his best to focus on buttoning up his shirt. "Well, yeah, me too."

Silence descended upon them, but it wasn't the friendly kind. Tae cleared her throat.

"I'll... go ahead. I still have another class in a different building. Can't be late" She said as she tiptoed her way out the door. "Um, bye, Gin-san."

The young man tuned to face her once more and nodded once.

' _He really does take on any freelance work,'_ she thought as she hurriedly made her way out of the corridor.


	3. I Don't Believe This is Fate

**Chapter Three**

 _ **I Don't Believe This is Fate**_

Tae just came home from grocery shopping. She usually took trips to the supermarket with her younger brother, but Shinpachi had kendo practice in school today (on a freaking weekend, too, but then again, varsity teams worked that way ever since), and he couldn't miss it because the regionals were coming to a close. He had informed her via text that he was already home, and that the kitchen sink at the Shimura unit was clogged with so much gunk that he had to call to a plumber to fix it, which prompted her to finish shopping as fast as she could. One, Shinpachi didn't have the funds to pay the plumber, and two, she couldn't leave his high school brother in the hands of a stranger. What if the plumber was some shady criminal involved in human trafficking or something? Anything could be possible at this day and age. Creativity escalated for the wrong reasons, sadly, and Tae would like to believe that she might be young, but she wasn't naive.

"Shin-chan?" she called out as soon as she let herself in. The young lass haphazardly kicked her shoes off near the door before walking through the living room. She noticed a pair of worn out sneakers that didn't belong to his brother, which she guessed might be the plumber's.

Her younger brother's head popped out from the kitchen. "Ane-ue!" he greeted cheerily.

She approached him and handed the paper bags on her arms. "Seems really bad, huh?"

The bespectacled boy nodded, frowning. "But the plumber did say there's nothing he can't do, so I really hope he's true to his word." He sighed. "I can't really stand clogged sinks. It'll gather bacteria, then we'll get sick. We don't really have that much funds for hospital fees and medicine in case anything happens."

Classic Shinpachi, ever the worried kid. Sometimes Tae wondered if he should be the older sibling between the two of them.

She followed her younger sibling inside the kitchen and she immediately spotted the plumber's lower half from under the kitchen sink. She tapped her brother's shoulder. "How long has he been here?" She whispered.

Shinpachi placed the grocery bags on the dining table before replying. "About twenty minutes now? He hasn't really come up from where he's lying except to dispose some gunk inside that trash bin over there."

The young lass opened their fridge and grabbed a pitcher of orange juice inside. "The poor guy must be starving by the time he's finished with our sink. I'll fix him some snacks," Tae placed the pitcher on the table and reached for a glass. "Shinpachi, please get the mail for me? I wasn't able to get it downstairs with my hands full."

There was a worried look on his younger brother's face. "But you'll be—"

"Alone with a stranger? Shin-chan, you know very well that I can send someone to hell if I wanted to. Don't worry about me." She flashed him a sweet smile before leaning closer and whispering in a deathly, low voice, "I'll make sure nothing funny happens here. You know that, too."

Shinpachi gulped. "Okay, ane-ue!" he dutifully replied and was out of the unit in five seconds like the obedient little brother that he was. Classic Shinpachi, ever the convenient kid.

Tae fished for some ingredients inside the paper bags and retrieved a loaf of bread, and a bottle of mayonnaise. She opened the fridge again to look if they still have some lettuce, and grabbed the bag of frozen crabsticks inside the freezer to leave it to thaw. Sure, she always found it offensive each time people commented about her cooking, but Tae actually paid heed to what people say so she settled for making a sandwich instead. No flames, no need to cook, and no eggs (to burn). And well, this was only a snack, too. No need to cook a lot, really.

Since the crabsticks weren't ready to be eaten yet, Tae decided to change to her comfortable clothes as she waited for Shinpachi to arrive with mail, for the crabsticks to thaw, and for the plumber to finish working on their sink.

* * *

Tae got out of her room after three minutes to check if the plumber was already done with his work or if the crabsticks were miraculously thawed already (though of course, it was probably not yet ready to be served yet). Shinpachi had long returned already (she heard the door open and close, and his hurried footsteps in the living room), and had left the envelopes on the coffee table. The young lass sat on the couch and looked at each of the envelopes, which she guessed were only bills, since nobody really wrote snail mails anymore. Nothing interesting in the mail again. She threw the envelopes on the coffee table, and went inside the kitchen.

The plumber (whoever he was) was still busy with the sink, it seemed. What a hardworking man, she thought, as she slowly approached him. "Hey, mister," she called, "do you need anything? I'll be fixing some snacks in a little while."

His right arm dropped to his side, dirty wrench on his hand. Both hands reached for the edge of the frame holding the sink, and the man slowly eased himself out of the cramped compartment. Tae's eyes widened for a few seconds, and it wasn't because the man was dirty and gunk-filled all over; it was because said plumber happened to be Sakata Gintoki, last week's nude model and the one who was hired to strip for her birthday.

Why did it seem like he kept popping out wherever she was?

At least this time, he was clothed (somewhat) decently, and not in some tight police garb or in his birthday suit (which still made her shudder thinking about the awkwardness of it all).

"Uh, hi?" he greeted her with much hesitation. Well at least she wasn't the only one who seemed to be embarrassed about their weird encounters. Gintoki couldn't even look her straight in the eye for ten seconds.

It was at this moment that Shinpachi chose to go inside the kitchen, and he found his sister and the plumber sharing what seemed like a game of not staring at each other's faces for as long as they could.

"Is everything alright here?"

* * *

Shinpachi found the piece of paper containing his contact details somewhere in the living room, which explained Gintoki's presence in the Shimura unit the second time. And here she thought her brother actually hired a plumber, not a freelancer of sorts.

"So you know each other already?" the young lad asked as he ate the sandwich that Tae quickly assembled for everyone. "But how?"

Tae quickly recounted her first encounter with the freelancer and hoped that Shinpachi didn't notice her face crumpling at the memory. How should she tell him this? A stripper was hired for her nineteenth birthday, and said stripper was no other than today's plumber? Shinpachi would transform into their deceased mother if he ever found that out (even more if she told him about last week's encounter).

"Oryou-chan invited him to come on my nineteeth birthday. We had dinner here, remember?" Well, she wasn't lying, but she wasn't telling the entire truth either.

She stole a quick glance at the young man seated across them siblings. He didn't seem to be bothered by this at all. Or perhaps because he looked unperturbed for the most part.

"You had boys at your party?!"

Tae glared at her younger brother. Seriously, Shinpachi could really be such a mom, it annoyed her. "So what if there were boys at my party? I'm nineteen; I can do what I want."

Gintoki reached for another sandwich and finally spoke up. "That's right. And don't worry, Pattsuan. I didn't touch your sister, if that's what you're getting your panties in a bunch for."

Shinpachi scowled. "It's _Shinpachi_."

Her nose crinkled in disgust as she watched him eat the sandwich unceremoniously without even bothering to clean himself up (well, he did wipe his hands with a paper napkin she handed him, _but even she thought that was not enough_ ). Gintoki didn't seem to be bothered by his current state, but that didn't mean he had to remain that way. So Tae stood up, frowning.

"I'll be back in a sec." She mumbled as she hurriedly stepped out of the kitchen and went straight to her room to go through her dresser to retrieve a small towel. She took a quick detour to the bathroom to run the towel under the bathroom sink before going back to the kitchen.

Tae handed him the damp towel. "Please clean yourself first, Gin-san."

Gintoki only looked at her blankly, but he accepted her proffered towel without much grumbling.

The room was quiet, and Tae prayed something would break the tensed atmosphere around them (well, just the two of them). Gintoki was occupied with wiping his face and arms clean, and Tae? Well, she tried not to remember last week's figure drawing class and tried not to be distracted by Gin-san's well-toned arms (well-toned built, in general. What was his workout regimen anyway?) as it flexed while he wiped them clean.

Shinpachi must do something. After all, he was only eating.

Come on. Someone please speak.

The young man stood up from his seat and placed the dirty towel on the backrest of the chair he sat on. "Well, I'll be off now. I fixed your sink and cleaned the gunk, too."

Thank the Lord, Gintoki spoke up.

Tae quickly stood up, too. She still had to pay him for his job. "Wait, Gin-san. Your payment."

She jogged to her bedroom, fished for her wallet inside her small sling bag, and hurried back to the kitchen. However, the universe must've been pulling some strings on her for on her way back to the kitchen, she managed to hit her big toe on the foot of the couch inside the living room, causing her to topple over. But instead of her head hitting the floor, her face hit on something hard, but not cold like the floor must be like, and she felt someone's arm encircled around her form. On cue, the young lass looked up and saw deep red eyes looking at her with concern. Gintoki had apparently caught her before she completely toppled over and embarrassed herself. Her cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink when she realized the position they were holding, and the fact that she was in the (strong) arms of Gin-san. It was... nice... and warm... but...

How cliche could this awkward situation go?

She immediately righted herself and slapped the money on his (chiseled) chest. "Here's the money, Gin-san!" she released an awkward chuckle. "Now, go! Goodbye! Good riddance! Go find another job to support yourself in the next five years!" She said as she pushed and led him to the door.

The young man was about to open his mouth to say something, but Tae closed the door on him, and made sure she locked it. Double locked. She then searched for that piece of paper, and when she found it lying by the TV in the living room, Tae ripped it into several pieces, picked the pieces up from the floor, opened the window to their unit, and let it fall on the ground. Shinpachi watched the entire scene with a puzzled look on his face.

"Don't call that guy again, okay?" she turned to her brother and flashed him the sweetest smile she could muster.

He didn't understand the vehemence behind it all, and he didn't think he would, so Shinpachi thought it best to just listen to her older sister.


	4. It All Begins With A Cup of Coffee

**Chapter Four**

 ** _It All Begins with A Cup of Coffee and a Nice Dinner for Two_**

It had been a long day at school today. With the upcoming annual festival that their university had been keeping as a tradition, the students from her college were all _required_ to entertain the whole school (and some visitors, too) with several floats made of whatever available materials fit their design. Tae's class happened to be assigned to create this really big float that was supposed to be reminiscent of kois swimming in a pond, and she didn't exactly enjoy having to make huge ass wire frames out of aluminum wire (they were easier to bend than most wires, but still). It was a group effort, _sure_ , but groups never worked ideally since the beginning. There would always be that one member who'd never show up, and if they did, they annoyed the bloody hell out of everyone. Unfortunately for Tae, she was stuck with not one but _three flipping members_ who were exactly like that. They were five in the group, by the way.

She was supposed to go home with Oryou today, but the other girl had prior arrangements with her blockmates. Sometimes Tae felt a little lonely since most of her friends from high school passed the same courses, or were in the same college building, and here she was, a Fine Arts student, by herself, and with the weirdest schedule ever (her classes started at seven in the morning, and ended at seven in the evening, with only a thirty-minute break for a quick lunch. And they were all different kinds of drawing classes). She'd gotten used to it somehow.

Since Shinpachi had already eaten dinner somewhere with his friends (he texted her before her last class ended), she decided to take the longer route home to do some window shopping and maybe stop by for a quick dinner, too. She figured she was tired to even fry some eggs for one, and she did have a bit of allowance left for the day. And the girl deserved to treat herself every now and then. She'd been working her arse off in school, and didn't go out and fool around like she was expected to do. Her above average grades could attest to that.

She found out about this small shopping and food district through Sougo, the same-aged lad who lived next to her unit. Sometimes, whenever she was feeling generous, she would go here with Shinpachi, and they'd have an awesome brother-sister bonding experience (with mostly hopping from one small restaurant to another). Sometimes she'd go here by herself to declutter before heading home.

Tae went inside the small cafe she loved for it served the best hazelnut macchiato she'd ever tasted. It was busy as ever: groups of college students like her crammed themselves in the booths, and the music provided by the management had been overpowered by the chattering of many. Tae immediately lined up to place her order.

The young lady behind the counter smiled at her when their eyes met, which wasn't really surprising because she was a somewhat regular customer. In fact, she didn't have to say anything; the young lady already grabbed a take-away cup from the counter (medium, like she always requested), and wrote her name already with a bonus note telling her to have a nice evening. How sweet.

She sat on the bench nearest the glass door as she waited for her name to be called. She really wasn't paying any attention to her surroundings since she tuned them out a long time ago in favour of focusing on the doujin she was reading in her mobile phone. The young lass was almost into deep when she felt someone sit beside her. Usually she'd mind it when people suddenly invade her personal space, but the doujin was too good for her to waste time getting annoyed by someone's insensitivity.

"One hazelnut macchiato for Tae-chan!"

Her ears perked up at the sound of her name. She closed the window of the doujin and slid her phone inside her bag before standing up to pick up her order. But by the time she reached the counter, someone's hand grabbed her cup as well. Tae's head shot to the side quickly to see who this bastard was and—

"Excuse me, but what the hell are you doing here?" She asked said bastard, voice dripping with venom along with the dropping of her usually sugar-sweet tone.

Gintoki's eyes widened in shock and his jaw dropped.

"And why are you stealing my order?" Tae's eyes narrowed into tiny slits as she tugged the paper cup closer to her.

But Gintoki wasn't going to give her order to her just yet. "Well, young miss, I'm in a hurry so just go get my order. It's the same, right? Hazelnut macchiato?"

Tae was clearly having none of that. "Look, Gin-san. Clearly, it's my name written on the cup, which means this cup of coffee is _mine._ "

The young man brushed it off casually with a chuckle. "Look," he quickly eyed the cup to read her name, "Tae-san, the first time I met you, I knew in my heart of hearts that you have a kind heart. So would you be so kind to let this slide, and wait for my order instead? Like I said, I'm kind of in a hurry right now because my next job starts in fifteen minutes."

"Well, I'm in a hurry to go home, too, so why don't you be a reasonable fellow and actually wait for your own order?"

"Tae-chan, didn't your mother ever told you about sharing is caring?"

"Gin-san, have you even asked if I care?"

And so a tugging game began between them. The baristas were all trying to stop the feuding pair over a cup of hazelnut macchiato, but by the time the manager was about to approach them, the cup flies to Tae's direction, sending the contents spilling on her clothes and on the floor. It was hilariously dramatic: collective gasps came from spectators, the baristas and the manager were all pale at how things escalated, and Gintoki's face was coloured with guilt. The young lass was frozen in terror and surprise that her favourite cup of coffee was all gone because of a stupid situation. And never forget about her coffee-stained, now coffee-scented clothes!

"Look, I'm—"

A muffled sob escaped Tae's mouth.

* * *

Gintoki sighed for the eleventh time that night (he guessed that was how much he'd been sighing) as he watched the college girl in front of him eat her pork cutlet ramen happily and contentedly. He looked at his own bowl, and somehow, he didn't feel like touching any of it at the moment even though he was just as hungry as Tae probably was.

After the hazelnut macchiato drama at the small cafe he only chanced upon that night, Tae somehow roped him into buying her a new blouse ("You ruined my favourite blouse!") even though he offered his jacket to cover the stains ("Covering the stains doesn't make it go away, Gin-san!"), buying her a new cup of hazelnut macchiato ("Make it large because I'm really sad over this incident!"), and paying for her dinner ("I get really hungry when I'm emotional.").

 _'Damn, brat.'_ He cursed in his thoughts as he finally dug in his bowl. _'She didn't have to make a scene and cry at the cafe earlier.'_ Now, his wallet felt a little lighter than usual. Thankfully, his client tonight was nice, and the job didn't require any urgent action so they were able to reschedule his freelance work the following day. Even so, the state of his finances at the moment couldn't even save him until the next month. But, with much denial on his part, Gintoki was really weak when it came to crying women.

Tae smiled sweetly at him when their eyes met. He frowned.

Yep, especially younger women. Younger women like Tae.

"Ah, Gintoki! There you are!" a familiar baritone reached his ears, and his frown deepened.

Katsura Kotarou—his childhood friend, batchmate from grade school until high school, and now flatmate—stood before the pair in all his long-haired, impeccable waiter outfit glory. "No wonder you weren't home yet; you didn't tell me you were supposed to see someone tonight."

The young man glanced at Tae before looking at his friend. "You know very well she's not my type." Then there was pain shooting through his shin.

Kotarou shook his head and sighed before turning to Tae. "Pardon my friend, Gintoki, here, young miss. You may call me Katsura, by the way." He said as he bowed. "I hope he's not giving you any trouble. After all, he can be quite a handful."

This time, it was Kotarou's shin's turn to hurt.

"Oi, Zura! Don't make it seem like we're having a PTA at a ramen house! And isn't it your shift already? Go log in or something before Ikumatsu-san yells at you for flirting with the customers!"

Kotarou recovered pretty fast from being kicked on the shin only to let himself be. "I'm not flirting, Gintoki. I was only being polite by introducing myself to a friend's possible love interest."

At this, Tae laughed. "Possible love interest? Katsura-san, you must be out of your mind. He isn't my type either."

Gintoki pouted. That comment certainly hit something somehow.

The other young man shrugged his shoulders. "I would understand. After all, he sometimes forgets to wash his hands after using the restroom, eats too much sweets for someone our age, and he pi—"

"Okay, Zura! Talking time's over! Hahaha! That's enough! My sensor is telling me that Ikumatsu-san is about to kill you for fooling around during your shift!" Gintoki obnoxiously yelled as he dragged his friend by the neck towards the employee's lockers area, with his arm circled around it.

"It was nice meeting you, young miss! Please take care of my fr—!"

* * *

"That was the best dinner I've ever had this month!" Tae cheerily declared as they walked along the busy street back to her apartment. "Thank you so much, Gin-san!"

"Yeah, whatever." The young man replied, scowling. "You should really be thankful to Gin-san because he went out of budget just to keep you from feeling upset."

"You mumbling something?"

Gintoki hoped the grin he plastered on didn't look so contrived. "Nothing, Tae-san!"

"It better be."

The young man hissed. _'So uncute.'_

The pair stopped in front of Tae's apartment. In the end, he offered to walk her home since the night was beginning to get deeper. As much as she got him into spending a part of his savings as a ploy to obtain free stuff and free dinner, Gintoki couldn't let himself live if something happened to her when they parted. After all, Tae was still a lady, and a college student, too. Perverts liked college students, too. He shuddered at that thought.

That wasn't to say Gintoki was interested in her. Oh, no.

"Thank you for walking me home, too, Gin-san! Someday I'll pay you somehow." The young lass bowed to him. He only shrugged in response.

Just as he was about to say goodbye, a hand landed on his shoulder. Gintoki turned round and was greeted by a man, seemingly in his thirties, who looked like he was about to pound him or something.

"Who are you and what is your relationship with Otae-chan?"

From where he stood, Gintoki heard Tae groan in frustration.

"For the love of all things sacred, get lost, Kondo-san! I told you for the fiftieth time, _I'm not interested in you that way._ "

At this, this Kondo-san went from looking ready to pounce to ready to cry an ocean. "But Otae-chan! You know my feelings will never change in spite of your rejection. It only fuels my undying devot—"

Before the man could even finish his love declaration, Tae had effectively silenced him by elbowing him on the chin.

 _'Yep, totally uncute.'_ Gintoki decided.


	5. It's Gonna End Up This Way At Some Point

**Chapter Five**

 ** _It's Gonna End Up This Way at Some Point So We Might as Well Do This Now_**

"Okay, let me clear things up a bit. You want that Kondo-san out of your life, right?"

Tae nodded as she sipped the cup of tea Shinpachi had prepared for them. "It's exactly why I called you, right?"

Gintoki rubbed his chin with his thumb. "I hope you're not asking me to exterminate him or something. I mean, sure, I do odd jobs, but annihilation isn't one of them. Just letting you know."

The young lass placed her cup on the coffee table and shot him a blank look. "Look, if I wanted him to die, I wouldn't have called you. I'd have called a professional to do it for me. Plus, I'm not really loaded so I can't afford to hire one. Clearly, that's out of the question."

The young man shot her a terrified look.

"Anyway, looking at the list of men I know, I think you're the one fit for this job. You need some cash, right? But I'm telling you this now; it's not high-paying, but at least you get to be my friend in the end. Isn't that a lovely deal?"

Gintoki's nose crinkled and his eyebrow rose. "Whatever. Okay, so what do you want me to do to get rid of your stalker."

For some reason, the grin that Tae flashed him warned the young man not to trust this girl too much. Gintoki gulped.

"Gin-san, I'm hiring you to be my bodyguard."

* * *

Well, hiring him as a bodyguard didn't seem so bad, though admittedly, he didn't see that coming. Usually, as most clichés went, girls would ask boys to be their pretend boyfriends to protect themselves from attracting creepy suitors who were basically a bunch of cherry boys who spent most of their lives in front of their TV screens playing games, and watching porn on their laptops at the dead of night. That wasn't to say that Gintoki was fine playing pretend sweethearts with Tae, oh no. Besides, she was a college freshman, and he... had been out of college for five years now.

Being a bodyguard wasn't a walk in the park, Gintoki realized along the way. It meant really keeping watch of Tae the moment she stepped outside the apartment to the moment she was on the Shimura doorstep. Everywhere she went, he had to be there obviously, which meant he had to forego some freelance works for the time being, much to his sadness. Well, at least he got to eat some free food whenever he was in the Shimura unit, though he mostly preferred the food served by Shinpachi. Speaking of the young boy, the high schooler had been shooting him suspecting looks every now and then whenever he was around his sister. Didn't this boy get it? _He was hired by her terrifying sister, for the love of all things sweet and sugary._ And like he said, he wasn't going to touch her in any way. Sometimes he thought Shinpachi should've been the bodyguard instead of him since he seemed to be doing much of a better job anyway.

He had just brought Tae home safe and sound. His shift was done for the day, _thank God_. Finally, Gin-san could go back home and lay on his bed after a long day of following his current boss around. The prospect of spending the rest of the night in his room sounded so appealing right now that he found himself walking along the corridor with a skip on his step.

He hadn't gotten far from the door to the Shimura unit when a hand landed on his shoulder. Somehow this scene felt familiar. Gintoki turned round and saw the very person he was protecting Tae from, looking ridiculously funny with his pouting face and all.

"That ugly look doesn't suit you at all, you know," he bluntly berated the man standing behind him. "Stop that, and stand straight."

* * *

Stalking and funny mug aside, Kondo Isao seemed to be generally likeable and nice. He also seemed loaded, too, since he actually offered to buy Gintoki some drinks—and not just in some measly cart where all they sold aside from shochu and sake were a variety of oden—in one of the more uptown bars near the vicinity of Tae's apartment. He was probably a regular customer here since the lady bartender just handed him a glass filled with ice and a bottle of Don Perignon (he really was loaded). Pretty good taste in alcohol, too.

Gintoki was already feeling lightheaded from the amount of beer he had downed since they began drinking. Isao wasn't faring any better. His head was already on the bar table, and he was crying big fat tears and sobbing as he mumbled Tae's name repeatedly, and how upset he was that 'Tae had chosen someone else instead of him.' They were Isao's words, by the way.

"I don't get it. Okaa-san told me that women like it even more when they're loved. But how come Otae-chan doesn't seem to respond to my love?" and the poor guy proceeded with his sobbing again.

Gintoki hicupped. "I told you a million times already; Otae-san and I are not together."

"But I see you leaving with her in her apartment, and bringing her home everyday. What about the time you two ate dinner at that ramen house near the shopping district? Or that one weekend where you were both eating popsicles after grocery shopping at the supermarket? And just two days ago, you were carrying her stuff on the way up their floor! You also made her laugh heartily when you got your jacket stuck on some branch after helping a kid get his balloon free from a tree! And what abo—"

"Okay, Kondo-san! You've had enough Don Peri for the night!" The young man interrupted. Somehow, Isao's recollection of the past few days sobered up Gintoki. _'What is this guy doing with his life aside from following us around?!'_

Isao shot up from his seat and pounded his fist on the table, sending both their glasses and the bottle of Don Perignon bouncing a bit. "No! There won't be enough Don Peri to quell my aching heart!"

Gintoki could only roll his eyes and sigh in exasperation.

* * *

He actually couldn't recall how this had become habitual for him. His body now woke up on its own accord, fifteen minutes before five in the morning even when he forgot to set an alarm, he'd go straight to the communal bathroom to take a shower, then he'd go down to prepare breakfast for everyone (it was his way of cutting his rent to half the original price just because he knew his flatmates plus the owner of said flat weren't trained in the kitchen), eat some himself, then take his leave to fetch Tae from her unit. It'd take him about thirty minutes to get to the street, and five more to get to the entrance of the apartment. By the time he arrived at the doorstep, Tae was ready for school. Then he'd bring her to university, wait for her around campus (college girls didn't look so appealing during his time, he learned), then hang around with her until it was time for him to go home.

Gintoki had to admit, though; it was sort of nice being around someone else other than his longtime buddies. He had gotten used to Tae's interesting neighbours, too. Sougo—the kid who was about the same age as Tae was, and currently attending to the same school—would sometimes tag along with them depending on his schedule for the day. Tae said that Sougo wasn't really the friendly type, but it seemed like he has taken a liking on him (for reasons he had no idea of). Actually, whenever Sougo spotted him on campus, the young lad would hang around with him and tell him of the secret lives of some of the students he happened to recognize as they pass time people watching. Creepy, but Sougo was generally an okay person to be with. Kind of like a younger brother he never had. He also talked a lot about this 'Hijikata bastard,' as he called him, whom he claimed to be his guardian after his sister died. With the amount of stories Sougo had shared with Gintoki, the young man felt like he knew this Hijikata person so well without even meeting him formally.

And there were also these two siblings who seemed to be of mixed race since he often caught them speaking in their native tongue whenever it was just the two of them interacting. How did Gintoki know? In the many times that he had fetched and brought Tae home, he would sometimes share the elevator with these two young ones, and he would secretly try to figure out what they were arguing or just talking about. And he did get to talk to the youngest sibling sometimes while they both wait for the elevator to reach the ground floor. Her accent wasn't too thick, but he could tell she wasn't a natural speaker of his mother tongue. He vaguely remembered Tae telling him their names, and if his memory hadn't betrayed him, the older brother was Kamui, and the little girl that he sometimes talked to was Kagura. He found it really odd that the young girl spoke to him as if they were of the same age and had lived a hard life. She was only fourteen, for Pete's sake.

As the days passed, Gintoki had also gotten used to Shinpachi's stares and frowns that the boy didn't think he'd see. Somehow, though, he could tell that the teenager had warmed up to him one way or another. His greetings were cheerier than before, and he didn't seem to mind his presence inside their unit even though all he did was to sit on the couch, read some magazines available in the Shimura household, and occasionally do side jobs for the siblings while he was still on his shift.

And about Tae? For the most part, he'd tolerated her threats and violent vocabulary (seeing that she didn't follow through most of them, and that the worst he had received was an elbow to his nose), and he'd also gotten used to her making him do things like carrying some of her big plates home or helping her patch up her projects in times of stress. He actually enjoyed the fact that they both like desserts because choosing which dessert to snack on before heading home wasn't much of an issue between them. Plus, Tae occasionally paid for their desserts whenever she was feeling generous, so it wasn't really so bad. But yes, for the most part, Gintoki pretty much paid for everything else.

Apparently, he wasn't only her bodyguard; he was also sort of her financier, too. And nope, he wasn't even going to label himself as _that kind of person_.

* * *

The young man was much happier today because his shift ended earlier than usual. Since Tae wouldn't be out in the evening, he was granted permission to go home early. On his way home, though, he spotted Isao by the park, sitting by himself, and looking really pensive. That was odd. Not stalking Tae today? Gintoki approached the man and invited himself to join him on the park bench.

"This is odd. Aren't you supposed to be where Otae-san is?" he greeted, breaking the quiet that Isao had established.

The man smiled. "Aren't you supposed to be where Otae-chan is, too?"

"My shift ended early today, so you're free to stalk her for the rest of the afternoon without me on the way."

Isao snickered. "You're doing a lousy job being a bodyguard. Informing the whereabouts of the person you're watching out for, I mean."

The young man shrugged. "She doesn't pay me enough, you know."

"Heh! But you still do it, anyway."

Gintoki straightened up and puffed his chest. "That's because Gin-chan, the Freelance Man doesn't do anything half-assed."

Isao didn't reply. He only flashed him a knowing smirk so quick, Gintoki wondered if his eyes were playing him because the man beside him looked dead serious now. His guts tell him something's percolating in the other man's mind.

"Look," Isao's eyes narrowed as he began, "I know it's going to be an uphill battle to win Otae-chan's affections, but I want you to know that I'm not close to giving up." He stretched out his hand to Gintoki.

The young man shot him a confused look.

"Consider me your number 1 love rival."

Gintoki could only cast Isao an incredulous look.


	6. I Don't Like Your Face

**Chapter Six**

 ** _I Don't Like Your Face_**

For three consecutive nights, Tae hadn't had a decent shuteye, and it wasn't entirely because it was the last stretch of the semester.

Sleep usually came easy for the young lass but not recently. In addition to that, she'd been burning her fried eggs even more than usual ("But, ane-ue, you've always burned the eggs whenever you tried making food for us."), and had been spacing out more as well. She'd also been sighing numerous times in a day, something that didn't escape Shinpachi and her friends.

She didn't notice that her phone had been ringing for a few seconds now. Tae checked the screen to see who the caller was and was stunned to see the name of the person she'd been constantly trying to avoid since last week. For a little while, Tae allowed herself to entertain an internal turmoil.

If she pressed the end call button, that would definitely make him think that she was really avoiding him. But if she ignored his call, he'd probably call back after a few seconds until either of their batteries die, and who knew how long either batteries would last. What to do?

Her rational side ordered her to ignore the call. So what if he called back again? She'd just ignore his many calls for as long as she could.

Finally, the ringing had stopped. For a moment, Tae felt like the universe rewarded her with peace. But then the door to her room opened, and Shinpachi came in, phone in hand.

"Ane-ue, Gin-san texted me and told me you haven't been receiving his calls or replying to his texts. What's going on?"

* * *

It was supposed to be just a side job on top of his original job. The keyword here was _supposed_. Little did Tae know that she enlisted the wrong guy for this job. However, looking at the list of possible models she could think of at the top of her head, he was the only one who'd be left with no choice but to do whatever she said. There was Isao who would do _anything_ for her, but she really didn't want to do _anything_ with him. Sougo was someone she couldn't boss around (and he'd probably take advantage of the favour), and his guardian wasn't really someone she'd imagine talking to. Kamui was always out, and Kagura-chan, even though she liked her and she was cute and all, would probably shy out at the word, 'model.' She had briefly considered Shinpachi, but he'd probably move around and fidget too much so really, the only logical choice here was Gintoki.

Besides, he was bound to her as his boss. Sort of. It'd be a piece of cake asking him to do this for her.

"Suck it up just this once!" Otae grunted as she positioned Gintoki's limbs according to the pose she had in mind. "I spent so much time working three times more than I should for the school festival thanks to my lousy groupmates so I'm _way_ behind my plates! Just please help me finish my plate for my figure drawing class. You don't want to see me fail, do you?"

The only response she got was a grunt and incomprehensible muttering. She smiled sweetly.

"Good boy," she whispered, patting his head. The young lass ignored the glare he shot his way as she walked back from her position in the couch and started to sketch Gintoki's pose.

"Just so you know, I'm counting this for my extra pay! Gin-san's body is worth more than a hundred thousand yen!"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Gin-san."

She was down to her last pose, much to her happiness. Tae organized the loose papers she'd used up the previous hour before proceeding to her last sketch. And since they'd been at it for an hour now, Tae saw it fit for Gintoki to take a break; besides, the guy had been generally cooperative the whole time (she was going to ignore the hisses and grumbling each time she would change his poses). He had left the living room a minute ago to get some refreshments for himself.

"Hey, I'm pretty sure I look better than that."

Tae shifted her upper body to face him and gave him a blank look. "Dream on, Gin-san. This artist can only draw what she sees."

Gintoki grabbed the sheets of paper and looked at them one by one as he sat on the backrest of the couch. "Hey! My face looks a little long here!"

The young lass placed her drawing tools on the coffee table before shifting on her seat to face the young man completely. "Oh come on, Gin-san! As if you can draw better."

He reached out for one of Tae's pencils and got a blank sheet. Gintoki stared at Tae for a good five seconds before drawing without interruption. He smiled. "There!"

Tae scoffed. "That was pretty quick."

Gintoki lifted the paper and showed her his masterpiece. "My style has always been inspired by the many series I read from Jump."

The first thing her mind registered was the child-like rendition of her in rough, shaky lines, with eyes reminiscent of the big eyes she saw in Mesopotamian sculptures, and hair as stiff as wood. She couldn't contain her laughter just because he was so sure of himself, but his skill begged to differ.

He pouted. "I poured my heart and soul in drawing your portrait. So mean!"

"And you aren't? You only noticed what I did wrong."

"But that's because I'm telling you the truth."

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, Gin-san! Break time's over! Go back to your seat."

The young man didn't grumble this time when he walked back to the chair that Tae had set up for him an hour ago. "Okay, what pose should I do next?"

Tae got up from the couch and ambled to her guest. "Okay, for the last pose, let's just make it easy for both of us." She held the young man on his shoulders and lightly pushed him downwards. "You're going to pretend that you're thinking. Think Roudin's _The Thinker_." She said as she started positioning his arms on his legs.

Gintoki frowned. "But this isn't how I look like when I think!" he protested as he rid himself of Tae's hold. He slowly sat upright and leaned comfortably on the backrest as he let his head hang in the air. "This! This is how I look like when I'm in deep thought!"

She shook her head and reached for his wrists once more. "No, no, no, Gin-san. This really isn't about you; it's about my figure drawing project, so _for the last time_ , please cooperate."

For some reason, this boy was making it hard for her again. "We've been doing rehearsed poses since earlier, how about we do what people actually look like, and not _supposed_ to look like?"

"How about you zip your mouth and just submit to my pleas?"

He tugged his wrists from her hold. "How about you listen to Gin-san's suggestion this time?"

"How about I punch you now?"

"I'm going to lick your fingers if you don't let go of my wrists!"

She frowned. "Eew!"

And Gintoki did just that. Well, he _attempted_ to. Tae evaded his assault by lowering his arms so he hadn't really licked her fingers yet. But when the tip of his tongue was dangerously close to the fingers on her left hand, their eyes locked for the briefest of moments. Their faces weren't merely inches away like most situations go, but with the way his head was cocked to the side and his face tilted to the right, the tip of his tongue out, and his neck exposed to her, Tae was rewarded with the sight of Gintoki's jawline—a feature she didn't really notice until now. _'Oh my god, it's wonderful,'_ her head screamed.

Then her thoughts started to betray her as snippets of their figure drawing class with him as the model invaded her conscious mind.

The young lass flinched and let go of Gintoki's wrists as if it were made of magma, and for good measure, she made sure that she was two arms away from him, in case she planned on embarrassing herself further like, uh, trace his jawline with her finger or ask him if she could cap a feel of his arms or something.

 _'Oh my god, Shimura Tae, what have you been filling your head with lately?!'_

"Otae-san, are you okay?"

And Lord help her right now because Gintoki fussing over her wasn't making this any easier.

She shook her head and crammed those unwanted thoughts back to the darkness ' _where they rightfully belong._ ' "Y-Yes, I'm alright! Must be a little tired from all the drawing, haha!" _'God that was an awkward laugh,'_ "Anyway, let's just... anyway, just pose however you like! I'd be able to copy it anyway!"

* * *

Click.

"Yes, Gin-san?"

 _"Where are you right now?"_

"Well, I'm in school right now, obviously. I'm a student, in case you forgot."

She heard him sigh deeply from the other line. _"Duh. Why did you leave without waiting for me?"_

Tae's face scrunched at his statement. "Who are you? My mom?"

 _"Wasn't I supposed to be your bodyguard? You hired me remember?"_

"Oh... yeah. Well, starting today, you're fired."

 _"Fired?!"_ she could imagine him looking shell-shocked at the news. " _What do you mean I'm fired? Did I do anything that displeased you?"_

The young lass tried not to recall his (perfect) jawline, and his (slender) neck. "Your existence is unpleasant itself. And it's not like Kondo-san made his moves recently, so there's no need to really guard me anymore, don't you think?"

 _"But, Otae-s—"_

"Gin-san, if you're worried about the payment, don't worry, I'll mail it to you. I have your complete address anyway. Or just send me your bank account number or something so that I can just place it straight on your account."

 _"No! Otae-san, this isn—"_

But she hung up even before he could finish explaining.

* * *

Six missed calls and ten messages from Gintoki.

"Well, aren't you a clingy one," she muttered as she threw her phone on her bed and forced herself to take a nap.

* * *

Tae was in the middle of cleaning her phone's inbox when a message from Gintoki just popped in.

 _"Are you mad? :("_ It read.

Tae would be lying if she said she wasn't affected. Nonetheless, she disregarded the dull ache in her chest when she saw the sad icon at the end of his query.

* * *

It had been two weeks since she successfully evaded Gintoki, and lucky for her, he didn't seem to show up unexpectedly anywhere. Not even on their doorstep. Somehow, a teensy part of Tae missed being around Gintoki, but there was a part of her that couldn't allow anything to blossom. For one, she was still a freshman in college, while he had been out of college for about five years now. Second, the guy was obviously struggling to support himself, which meant he wouldn't be able to save much for himself _should_ anything happen (not really considering that something _might actually_ happen between them). Third, she truly was serious when she told Kotarou that Gintoki wasn't her type. He was _too_ carefree, and his mouth usually ran off before he could process what he had just said. She also couldn't understand him sometimes, like he'd complain a lot, but he'd do things anyway. Such a stressful person to put up with, Gin-san was.

But he was reliable, strong, and he actually took his job well as her bodyguard. He also tolerated her nagging and constant bossing, and he hadn't tried anything funny on her even though they'd been left by themselves a lot of times inside the Shimura unit. Gintoki also hadn't brought her to shady areas, and in fact, would trade places with her on the sidewalk or the pedestrian crossing so that he'd be on the danger zone instead of her without even asking. Gintoki did become a friend, too.

She was sad that she had to keep herself away from him, and it wasn't because she didn't trust Gintoki. What she didn't trust was herself, and her wavering perception towards this oddly charismatic character.


	7. I Don't Like Your Face Either

**Chapter Seven**

 ** _I Don't Like Your Face Either_**

Gintoki's eyes opened on its own accord and he groaned. It seemed like he woke up earlier than he intended to, seeing that there weren't any rays of morning light making its way through the slits of the blinds covering his bedroom window. He sleepily reached for his phone from the side table and checked the time. Fifteen minutes before five, like his usual wake up time when he _was_ still a bodyguard. He placed his phone on the empty side of his bed and groaned. Old habits die hard, huh? But it was odd considering he only got the job around a month ago. Not-so-old habits die hard, then?

"Whatever," he murmured as he grabbed his spare pillow and covered his face in an attempt to go back to sleep again.

* * *

He woke up three hours after the first time he did. Gintoki slowly sat up from his bed, rubbing sleep off his eyes and yawning. He searched for his phone in his messy sea of blanket and found it near his left knee. Not any notable texts from people, except maybe from Kotarou telling him to reheat the breakfast he cooked and left for him in the fridge. Seriously, that boy could pass as his mom, and he didn't even get a chance to meet his own mom because she died after giving birth to him ("I hope you're proud of me," he always told her each time he visited his parents' graves). He quickly replied to his flatmate's message before heading for the bathroom to rid himself of his morning breath.

Gintoki wouldn't admit it, but he was actually touched that Kotarou had the mind to label his share before placing it in the fridge. Of course, what could possibly happen when you have four healthy young men sharing one flat, and each of them had quite an appetite? Smiling softly, he grabbed the plastic container with his name on it and hummed as he placed it inside the microwave.

Morning was a pleasant affair until he heard someone's obnoxious and awkward laugh growing louder and louder coupled with the sound of rubber slippers sliding on marbled tiles.

"Okay, Mutsu! See you at the flat in thirty minutes, then, aha ha ha!"

For the record, Gintoki was truly grateful that he met and became friends with Sakamoto Tatsuma, a young man his age who, compared to the rest of them renting in his flat, was immensely blessed with wealth that someone their age shouldn't even have. But to be honest, Gintoki wasn't envious of his friend's financial status, and he didn't really hate him as much as he found rich kids irritating, for Tatsuma was far from spoiled, and he genuinely wanted to help people and bless them. Immensely. So much that Gintoki felt so guilty at times (at times only). Although grateful, Gintoki mostly just wanted to punch this guy in the face for being the loudest person he ever met.

"Ah, Kintoki! It's been a while since I saw you wake up around this hour! No job today?"

Oh, and for calling him with the wrong name for the longest freaking time, too.

"People are still trying to sleep this early in the morning, and you're being noisy already."

But this person only laughed at him in response no matter the amount of poison he laced in his tone.

"Aha ha ha! Good morning to you, too, Kintoki!" Tatsuma greeted cheerily as he opened the fridge and reached for the box of strawberry milk.

Gintoki's eyes widened. "So you're the idiot who's been drinking my strawberry milk supply dry, huh?! And all this time I thought that Takasugi bastard's only trying to get in my nerves like always!" He yelled as he snatched the box from his friend's hand before a drop could even reach his mouth. Gintoki hungrily drank the remaining sweet liquid without pause.

"Ah, that's being selfish! I promise I'll replenish it with two more!" Tatsuma scratched the back of his head and chuckled as he opened the fridge once more to look for something else to drink. "Anyway, shouldn't you be off by now? I mean, if my memory serves me right, you told me your current job requires you to show up around this time at your client's place."

Gintoki retrieved his reheated breakfast inside the microwave and sighed. "Well, I was fired. Like about two weeks ago, I think."

"Fired? Why?"

"Dunno, really," he mumbled as he sat on one of the chairs in the dining room. "She said her stalker hadn't been making any move recently so it's pointless to keep me as her bodyguard anymore. Really. Teenagers these days are so annoying; one day they're totally fine, the next they're being rude. Sheesh."

He didn't see the smirk on Tatsuma's face as he sat across him and placed his arm on the table. "Her name's, what? Tae, right?"

"Hey, how come you remember her name, and you always mispronounce mine?"

"Aha ha ha ha ha! Don't say silly things, Kintoki! You know I know you well!" Said man only shot his friend a glare. "Anyway, you seem so affected being fired and all. And I know you, Kintoki; it's not really about the money. So, why don't you tell your good friend, Sakamoto, what's in your mind right now?"

"Well, I'm currently punching you in the face in my mind right now, if that's what you want to know."

Tatsuma laughed. "Oh come on! What is _really_ in your mind right now?"

Gintoki frowned. "My brain, something you don't have?"

The young man stood up from his seat and captured Gintoki in a headlock, still smiling (though the force he was using with his arm was unnecessary, Gintoki thought). "We all know I aced all my subjects in college and that I graduated cum laude, Kintoki! How about you stop trying to be witty and spill what you really feel?" He paused. "Hey, that rhymes! Aha ha ha!"

Gintoki tried to pry off Tatsuma's arm around his face. "How about you mind your own business, Sakamoto, and prepare for the arrival of your beloved girlfriend? Leave Gin-san to eat breakfast in peace?"

Tatsuma responded by squeezing Gintoki's face harder. "I still have about twenty-eight minutes left before she gets here. We can talk for twenty minutes. I've already taken a bath anyway."

Seeing as trying to dodge this person was futile, the young man sighed and relented. "Okay, fine, Sakamoto! If that's what you want just let me finish my breakfast before it gets cold, then we'll talk. But promise you won't laugh at me!"

* * *

This was really odd, Gintoki thought. What made this even more odd was the fact that he was _actually_ talking to Tatsuma about this, and not Kotarou, since between his three friends (the bastard was his friend, yes), Kotarou was the one who met Tae in person. The others only heard about her through his stories. But here he was, on the sofa beside the other curly-haired person in the flat (at least they finally have one thing in common, right?), and recounting how strange Tae had been to him the past days. This was really odd.

"Well, can you recall anything significant that happened from two weeks ago that could've, you know, triggered the sudden change in Tae's demeanour towards you?"

Suddenly this felt almost like a counselling session. Almost, that he was ready to kick Tatsuma off the couch and lie down.

He frowned. "Hm, can't really think of anything." Then his head cocked to the side as he scratched his nape. "Well, Otae-san grew weirder the day after she called me up to help her with her plate for figure drawing classes."

"Oh? What did she ask you to do?"

The young man dug his pinky inside his right ear. "Pose for her."

Tatsuma's eyes widened. "Woah, there! Nude?"

Gintoki shot him an incredulous look. "What?! No!" But the memory of standing in front of her class with everything hanging loose flashed in his head for an instant. He shooed it away immediately and hoped he wasn't blushing beet red or anything. "She just asked me to do certain poses and then copied them."

"And nothing happened after? None of those meeting of gazes and shared shy smiles or anything?" Tatsuma nudged him on the side with his elbow, grinning mischievously.

"Goddamit, stupid! What are we? High school students?!"

"But you said she was a college freshman, which means she's sort of fresh from high school, and still wide-eyed about the world. The prospect of romance still probably excites her."

The young man shot his friend a disgusted look. "Romance? The hell are you getting these ideas from? Soap operas?! I told you not to humour Zura every time he watches those shitty romance series before he goes to his shift. Look at how muddled your brain has become!" He nudged his friend's forehead with two fingers repeatedly.

"A ha ha ha ha! Kintoki, I'm not surprised that you're pretty dense when it comes to things like romance! I mean, it's probably the reason wh—"

Before Tatsuma could even finish his statement, Gintoki had reached for his jaw and squeezed his cheeks, making the brunet pout.

" _Okay, stupid_. I get it; I'm horrible with feelings, and you're not. I can't get a single girl, and your lovelife's all rainbows and bunnies. But _look_. I don't even think Otae-san thinks of me that way. I'm pretty sure she just likes the services. That's all!"

Tatsuma had wrangled his face free and was now rubbing his aching jaw. "Okay, then. Whatever you say, Kintoki. But," suddenly he looked serious as he met the other young man's eyes, "do you think of Otae-san that way?"

If Gintoki was drinking anything, he would've spurted it out, straight to Tatsuma's face. But he wasn't drinking anything. So he remained silent and harrumphed as he turned away from his friend, crossing his arms over his chest.

"A ha ha ha ha! Ay, Kintoki," was the only thing Tatsuma could say.

* * *

As soon as Mutsu came to the flat ("Well, she's going to help me clean this den of messy men!"), Gintoki took his leave ("Bye lovers! Don't forget to use protection!" "Um, no. We're just really going to clean the flat.") even though he really had no concrete plan today. Well, he did, but with Mutsu there, he'd probably be forced to work his arse off moving pieces of furniture around just so she could collect the dusts that gathered underneath, and he wasn't really in the mood to organize anything (not even his life, he added).

He considered the places that he frequented to when he was free from freelance commitments. The park would probably be noisy about this time, so he disregarded that thought (he wouldn't be able to hear himself think). It was too early for drinks, and he really didn't have so much in his wallet at the moment so he couldn't go to the spa or even see a movie. Gintoki groaned in annoyance. He also briefly considered going to Tae's campus and maybe corner her or something so that he'd know why she was suddenly acting weird towards him without some sort of clear indication. However, he couldn't shake the feeling of worry, as he thought about how the young lass would react when she'd see him.

In the first place, why would he even worry about such thing?

In the middle of pondering, he managed to bump into someone as he aimlessly walked along the street. "I'm so—"

"Gintoki?"

His jaw slackened at the sound of that familiar alto.


	8. Brave Men Don't Beat Around the Bush

**Chapter Eight**

 ** _Brave Men Don't Beat Around the Bush; They Attack!_**

Looking at the bright side, at least Gintoki didn't have to walk aimlessly anymore. The person he accidentally bumped into was actually his ex, the graceful and wonderful Tsukuyo—his girlfriend for three years. They met in college, and got together after he graduated. Now, he was a freelancer, sometimes a freeloader (but Tatsuma was really kind enough to let him off the hook), and sometimes dead to the world. And here Tsukuyo was, garbed in a corporate attire—black pencil skirt, and a blue blouse that hugged her torso well—obviously earning more than he did, and looking even more pleasant through the years. Life was so unfair. Had God forsaken him or something?

"Is it weird if I tell you that it's weirdly comforting to find out you haven't changed at all, Gintoki?" the young woman said, chuckling afterwards as she reached for the plate of fishcakes in front of her.

He frowned. Was that supposed to make him smile or something? Gintoki decided to just shrug it off and grab his plate as well.

"Even though it's been three years, somehow we still end up spending our time together in a measly stall, eating piping hot oden." She continued. "Anyway, what's with the stupid look on your face?"

"Huh?" he finally spoke. "Didn't you use to say that I always have that stupid look in my face?"

Tsukuyo shrugged. "Well, yes, but your face has gotten stupider today. What's bothering ya, Gintoki?"

Since when had this woman learn how to be straightforward? Well, she'd always been straightforward, but she was mostly shy when they were together.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "You know I know whenever you're troubled, Gintoki. There's really no point hiding it."

He only hissed and proceeded to eat his own food.

"Is it about a woman?"

He wouldn't say he was bothered by the somberness in Tsukuyo's tone when she suggested that.

The young woman smiled softly. "So Gintoki's finally in love? What's her name?"

Okay, why do people think he was in love?

"'M not," he mumbled in between chewing his fishcake. He swallowed his food first before continuing. "I guess I'm just... worried."

Tsukuyo's face lit up in curiosity. "Oh? About what?"

To be honest, Gintoki kind of missed this easy flow of conversation with Tsukuyo. For a moment, he questioned why he even broke up with this woman in the first place when she was already great. And sure, she was really a looker (plus, plus points to Gin-san), but overall, Tsukuyo's personality (yes, even her tsundere tendencies) was something he truly adored.

Oh, yes. He felt unworthy of even being this close to this kind of woman. Idiot.

"She's only a college freshman?" Tsukuyo clarified, raising an eyebrow. "It's no wonder why we didn't last _that_ long. You really are a pervert, Gintoki. And I'm surprised that I'm not even surprised."

He groaned in frustration. "You make it sound like I'm a cradle-snatcher or something. And look, I only said I was _worried_. Gin-san's not in love. Gin-san's too old to be in love."

She huffed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and Gin-san's too old not to recognize what he's really feeling. Ya know, this is why we also didn't last long; you're _too_ stubborn."

"Are we going to fight even though we're not a couple anymore?"

"No! Don't be silly. I'm just saying you dwell on this issue to help you sort out and identify what you're _really_ feeling towards this freshman so that you can finally accept it wholeheartedly and move on."

"Wow, so you're suddenly an expert on love now?"

"Oh my gosh, _Gintoki_. Can you just let go of your pride for once? This is why things sometimes don't work out for you." The young woman berated as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Going back to the issue at hand, have you tried asking her why she's suddenly gone cold on you?"

He rested his jaw on his palm as he played with the sticks on his plate. "I tried calling her a number of times, but she either ignores it or makes excuses not to talk to me. She also doesn't reply to my texts either, so I stopped."

"That was it? You knew where she lived and didn't even bother dropping by her unit _once_?" She snorted. "You're really hopeless, aren'tcha?"

"Hey! I know we're not together anymore, but that doesn't mean you can hurt Gin-san's feelings to your heart's delight! And what are you implying? I thought I told you I'm not in love!"

But the young woman only ignored him. "Gintoki, you could've at least insisted you talk with her to understand why she's acting the way she is towards you even if she tells you otherwise. That's what you should've done."

"Look, you've been ignoring me on purpose—"

His left shoulder suddenly felt a little heavy when Tsukuyo placed her hand on it. "Gintoki," (oh no, she's using that tone on him) "do yourself a favour, and please don't be a jerk this time."

"What do—"

"I know you're going to convince yourself that you're not really affected, but why are ya getting your boxers in knots over this girl who just decided to ignore your existence one day?"

The young man frowned. "You know that Gin-san is weak when someone is mad at him, right?"

"Yes! But only when that person is dear to you, Gintoki." She retorted. "Obviously, this girl has wormed her way to your life or something."

He pulled some of his hair and groaned. "For the love of all things sacred, please stop making it sound like I actually have feelings for that girl."

"Ah, but you do, Gintoki, you do." The young woman smiled wistfully. "Maybe it's not overwhelming, but it's there."

He didn't say anything anymore. He fished for his wallet from his back pocket and was about to retrieve some cash but Tsukuyo stopped him. "My treat."

Gintoki would've refused, but looking at the state of his wallet, perhaps he thought it wasn't such a bad idea.

The young woman opened her pouch to look for her money. "Why don't you hop along and think about what we talked about. Clear your head. Sort out your feelings, and this time, _please_ be a gentleman. You know what I mean." She whispered the last part and winked.

"Aren't you going to go back to work or something?" He asked as he prepared to leave.

She shook her head. "My boss gave me an hour and a half off so I can still spend a bit of time out. You, however, have something to do so ya better run along now, Gintoki, and make me proud."

"Tch, you sound like a mom."

At this Tsukuyo chuckled. "Like ya told me several times before."

* * *

Mutsu was still there when Gintoki headed for home, but he guessed they were already done turning the house over and making it spotless since the couple were seated on the couch, watching some old chick flick that, Tatsuma supplied, his girlfriend had been wanting to watch, but none of her friends were up to it. He scowled. Seriously though, Tatsuma was so good at his game. Perhaps that was why he and Mutsu were still together in spite of his weird personality, weird hair, and weird laughter (but then again, to Gintoki, Mutsu was equally weird, too). His scowl deepened when he saw Tatsuma scooting closer to his girlfriend as the young woman snuggled closer to his warmth, a fond smile painted on her pretty face. _'Lovers, tch,'_ he shook his head in disapproval as he climbed upstairs to lock himself inside his room.

He attempted to take a short nap, but his conversation with Tsukuyo would immediately revisit his conscious mind, causing him to toss, turn, and think even if he didn't want to. He tried playing all the games he installed in his phone, but it only left him with a 5% battery life, and feeling frustrated with being unable to defeat the last boss. He got up from his bed to charge his phone when a preview of a message popped on his lock screen.

"Eh? Pattsuan?" It had been a while.

Gintoki opened the message and read it quietly, mouthing the words as his eyes scanned the whole thing.

 _"Just to let you know: ane-ue finally conceded to Kondo-san."_

The young man didn't bother charging his phone anymore as he grabbed his wallet and slid his phone inside his pants' pocket, and dashed out of his room.

"Ah, Kintoki? What's with the urgency?" Tatsuma asked when he saw his friend flying through the door.

"Oi, Sakamoto!" he called out from the door as he sat down to tie his shoelaces. "Can I borrow your bike? I need to go somewhere."

The brunet simply shrugged. "Sure. Just don't break it, 'kay?"

* * *

"Really? That darned woman's just going to put to waste all the effort I put into being her freaking bodyguard!"

He was careful not to slam Tatsuma's bike at the wall facing the bike parking area in front of Tae's apartment. He texted Shinpachi not to leave the unit because he'd be there as soon as he could.

"Maybe she really does want to get it with that freaking Kondo-san! Why am I not surprised? After all, he's loaded, and little missy wants to be spoiled by some guy. This freaking guy will spoil her _anytime_. Great!"

He really didn't realize his whining was getting louder by the time he was inside the lobby and frantically pushing the up button on the elevator.

"Sure, Gin-san is strong. But Gin-san is broke! And his feet smell, too. Kondo-san's feet probably smell, too, but at least his smelly _and_ rich. Geez!"

"Oh, it's you. It's been a while, danna."

"I knew that little lady is not to be trusted! 'Sides, her boobs aren't even big."

"You know, it's really rude talking about women's bust sizes in public."

Gintoki actually stopped in the middle of cussing and whining to look at the source of the voice beside him. "Oh, it's just you Souichiro-kun. How's life?"

The young lad smiled. "Peachy. And it's Sougo. You seem to be bothered by something, danna. Care to share?"

He snorted and rolled his eyes. "As if a kid like you can tell me something. Okay now, Sofa-kun; run along with your playmates and enjoy the times of your youth before it becomes too late for you. I have something to take care of."

At this Sougo smirked. "If my guess is right, Otae-san left the building ten minutes ago with _someone_."

Gintoki's jaw dropped. He immediately retrieved his phone from his pocket and dialed Shinpachi's number.

"Pattsuan? Change of plans. I'm heading off instead." The young man didn't even wait for the brother to reply when he ended the conversation. "Which way did they go?"

Sougo pointed left before entering the lift. "Dunno though where they're really heading. It could be a love hotel for all I know."

There was a disgusted feeling at the pit of Gintoki's stomach at the sound of love hotel.

"You better hurry, or this'll be Otae-san's day of defilement. Good luck, danna." And the doors of the lift shut close.

The brat didn't really need to say that. His mind was set on finding Tae today, and settle the rift between them once and for all.

* * *

If you are still following this story, thank you so much. :D I'm sorry for the super late update.


	9. At Least Have Her as a Friend

**Chapter Nine**

 _ **If You Can't Have Her As a Lover, Then At Least Have Her As a Friend. It's Better Than Nothing At All.**_

Just when Tae thought that Isao had stopped with his stalking, the grown man sporadically made his presence felt yet again. He probably caught wind of Gintoki's firing (but from whom? But then again, it wouldn't come as a shock since he was a stalker), so he began to make his move again. She had thought of calling Gintoki again, but after purposely ignoring him and forcefully cutting ties with him unfairly (even she had the heart to call her move unfair), the young lady found it inappropriate to "hire" him as a bodyguard the second time. And sure, she might've used the young man at some point to get what she wanted, but somehow, using him again as a shield to Isao's advances didn't sit well with her conscience. So she decided to just roll with the punches and see how this would evolve.

At first she was nothing but violent each time she sensed the man's presence lurking within the vicinity. She'd throw whatever stuff her hand would grab on and hit him in the face, or sometimes she'd really punch him squarely whenever Isao got a little too close for comfort. But it had gotten so tiresome having to dodge his approaches so the young lass thought of changing her plans of dealing with such a persistent stalker. Perhaps she'd try to get to know him well?

She learned that Isao was actually a nice guy. Sometimes when the guy waited for her to exit the apartment, she'd spot him helping an elderly woman cross the street or chatting up the street sweepers. He was also very generous with what he had, sometimes even buying a full set meal for a poor family just to help them get by. At first she thought that maybe those were all for show—to get on her good side. Girls were supposed to love considerate guys, right? Sougo begged to differ. He claimed that the guy was actually not hard to read. The boy recounted the countless times he'd been nice to him and his guardian, and how Isao was mostly instrumental in his getting far in studying. To which Tae decided that he might be Sougo's sugar daddy or something (he was in his thirties, after all, and though Sougo was far from her type, she did find him handsome. It wasn't really a farfetched setup, was it?). Sougo shot her a nasty glare that almost caused her soul to reach Nirvana prematurely. Almost.

Upon closer inspection, she did see that all his actions were backed with good intentions (save maybe for his intentions to get close to her). Generosity was something that came naturally to him, and Tae just loved generous people, in general. You could say that Isao definitely had a heart of gold, and Tae wondered why she didn't notice these things before in spite of him being around her most of the time.

Ah yeah, there was Gin-san. And Gin-san was actually nice, too, in spite of his vanity and sometimes feigned indifference. Tae quickly snuffed the embers to keep any flame from lighting up.

Speaking of that idiot, it had been a month since she last saw or even heard from Gintoki, and the young lass wasn't going to deny that a part of her actually missed the young man. Oops, wait! His presence—she missed his presence. Presence only.

But, the greater question was, did Gintoki feel the same?

"Otae-chan, is everything alright?"

Isao's voice kept her from drifting off further. She plastered a rehearsed smile on her face. "I'm sorry, Kondo-san. I'm just... well, I've been thinking."

Isao crossed his arms on the table and leaned closer, concern painted on his face. "About what?"

"Oh, college stuff. After all, I'm a freshman. I still have a long way to go." She lied. Of course, she wasn't going to tell him that her mind was preoccupied with another man. Even she had the decency to not talk about other men in the presence of another, especially when out on a date. She sighed. Come to think of it, this was her first date.

Not exactly how she wanted or even dreamt it to be, though. But she had to accept that at some point in her life, she couldn't be picky.

But still, a man in his thirties? _'Goddammit, Tae! This looks very inappropriate no matter how much you justify it!'_

' _Well, maybe your secret dream to become a housewife begins here. I mean, look at him, he's loaded? And he doesn't look that bad for someone his age. Almost like Gin-san.'_

' _Quit bringing up that idiot—wait, why am I even arguing with myself?!'_

She let out a groan that would've ultimately turned off every man in sight except for Isao.

Her hands were about to reach for her brown locks, but the older man opposite her managed to grab her wrists in time. She opened her eyes and her breath hitched when she saw intense seriousness colouring the man's usually goofy face.

"Be honest, Otae," _'he dropped the -chan!'_ "what is really bothering you?"

* * *

Yep, this wasn't the first date she envisioned as a naïve little girl.

They weren't in a field of sunflowers on a crisp, Sunday morning, and she wasn't in the arms of her first love (speaking of first love, her first love was already overseas, and last time she heard, he was engaged already. Oh, her poor, poor heart!), too. But of course, even as young as she was, Tae already knew that it wouldn't happen anytime soon. Or maybe ever. So she settled with the night view of the empty playground near the central park of the city and with the man she least wanted to be in close contact with. Much less share the same bench with.

At least she had her first date, she reasoned. Tae sipped the peach flavoured soda that Isao picked for her because 'she was still young to be drinking alcohol,' he said (and he got himself a beer, that oaf). She didn't even like peach flavour!

"I'm sorry I spoiled our restaurant trip." She said, almost a whisper, as she mindlessly played with the can, turning it clockwise with her fingers. "You might've had a hard time scheduling an appointment considering it's a popular place for dates and high-ranking people."

Ever the gentleman, Isao only brushed it off with a wave of his hand and a goofy grin. "Ah, not really, Otae-chan. Don't worry about that! 'Sides, just being this close to Otae-chan is already enough for me. But I wouldn't mind it if we get a little closer!"

Tae had the mind to gut this guy senseless but only settled for a glare that she made sure made his spine shiver in fear. "Say any more and I will crush your bits and feed it to the homeless cat who's always by the entrance of my apartment. I'm serious."

The older man visibly sweated and shuddered a bit. "I'm sorry, Otae-chan! My mouth was quicker than my brain this time!"

The young lady sighed dejectedly before finishing the rest of her soda with a big gulp. She almost immediately burped loudly, completely unbecoming of a woman. Tae's cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Kondo-san!" she blurted instantly, but her apology was muffled by her hands covering her entire face.

But Isao only responded with laughter.

"You're not helping!" Seriously, would this guy still be obsessed about her even if she farted straight to his nose? Hell, he'd probably think her farts smelled like roses or some other fragrant shit.

And he laughed even more. The nerve of this man!

"I'm really sorry, Otae-chan! I mean it!" He said in between heavy breaths and laughs. "It's just that, it was unexpected that such a sound can come from like you, and I was caught off guard." He managed to even his breathing and stop laughing. "I still think you're lovely as before."

Perhaps if it came from another person and not from Isao, it would've touched her to the core. It made her cringe instead.

"You know, Sougo told me about your bodyguard's recent absence." He spoke all of a sudden. "I thought at first that maybe I only missed him or something, but when Sougo did confirm that Sakata-san doesn't show up to your doorstep anymore, I was relieved."

The young lady's head quickly jerked to the right so that she could see the man's face. Before she could say anything, though, Isao raised his left hand, telling her that he wasn't done talking yet.

"I hope you don't get me wrong, Otae-chan; sure, I do follow you around and wait for an opportune time to strike, but with Sakata-san around, I can't even make a single step. I can only be happy being able to stay even as close as fifty feet away from you.

"And then one day, he didn't show up anymore. And the next, and the next. Just when I was about to give up the pursuit, the gates are wide open. And for the first time, I actually thought that God heard my prayer about love, that spring might actually come to me this time."

Normally she'd cut Isao off by now before speaking more horsecrap to her face, but this time, she felt compelled to just shut up and hear him once.

Isao let out a heavy breath. "I'm not as old as any of our grandparents, so I feel a little arrogant saying this, but I think I'd live long enough to know things, and," he paused to meet her eyes (which made her feel a little unsettled just because she felt like he could easily see what she was thinking). "I can tell what a person feels just by looking at them."

At the back of Tae's head, she understood what the man was pointing to, but she didn't want to acknowledge it, and wished for this conversation to be over. Certainly, first dates weren't supposed to head this direction, no? She was about to open her mouth, but she was interrupted the second time that evening.

"Don't even try to feign naïveté, Otae-chan; I see the way you look at him when you're together." The man declared as plain as day. For the first time, he looked so manly and desirable in Tae's eyes that she had to mentally punch herself. This Kondo Isao was so much better than the Kondo Isao she'd gotten used to punching and waving off.

But he was right; she didn't like him. Not even for a wee bit. Even if she secretly acknowledge that he was desirable this way, she still didn't like him one bit. Because he was right; she liked another man. She liked Gin-san very, _very_ much—and possibly not only in that way.

She heard him scoot a little closer to her as the sole of his dress shoes grated on the rough patch of cement under the bench. He didn't look mad—just serious. This man meant business and he wasn't going to back out even if she threw him countless empty threats of disemboweling him and scattering his body parts across Japan. Tae swallowed the dry lump in her throat as she braced herself for the talk she didn't even want to acknowledge.

' _Just what did I get myself into?'_

She noted that even though she was within easy reach from Isao, and that he also plainly stated his intentions with her, he didn't reach to touch her. Such restraint.

"What is the real score between you and Sakata-san?"

"Eh?" Tae replied, but it wasn't because she didn't expect that question; it was more like she was shocked that he was so forward about it.

"He's your bodyguard, right? So I suppose he might've made some advances or something while you two are together. Did something happen between you two?"

A quick snippet of her private Art session with Gintoki crossed her mind, but she erased it as fast as it appeared in her thoughts. "Nothing untoward happened, if that's what you want to know."

She was somewhat ticked off by the doubtful look that her companion casted towards her. No, correction—she wanted to wipe that doubtful look in Isao's face and rearrange his face until he wasn't recognizable anymore. What was up with that look of mistrust?

"Really? Sakata-san didn't even do anything? Nothing at all?"

"What? You actually want something to happen between us, huh? What for? So I can cry on your chest and find solace in your presence? Is that what you want, huh?"

Isao only raised an eyebrow at her. "While that's a very nice and romantic scenario, I'm shocked that you don't seem to understand what I mean at all. Or at least you're not seeing what I'm seeing."

"Huh?" Wait, this was really getting more convoluted.

The man hummed before speaking. "Then, what do you think about Sakata-san, Otae-chan? What does he mean to you?"

Now, that was unexpected. Like opening a box of chocolate thinking it was going to be sweet, only to learn as you bite off a piece that it was dark chocolate after all. And Tae didn't like dark chocolate at all.

A horrified look crossed her face because even if she knew subconsciously of her feelings towards the young man, verbalizing it meant truly, _completely_ , acknowledging it to the world, and more importantly to herself. And that, frankly, was what she was afraid of.

"I'm sorry, Otae-chan, for that question!" Isao quickly apologized as he scratched his nape and shifted his gaze on the cement. "I guess I went too far asking you that. You don't have to tell me your answer, though." Then his gaze was back on her. "But let me tell you one thing, Otae-chan; if he so ever lays a finger on you and you feel uncomfortable about it, but he does so anyway, you can be sure that I'll come to your aid when that happens," then he smiles wistfully, "and maybe that time, you'll really cry on my chest and find solace in my presence. Your words."

Tae was sure that he didn't like this man one bit, but she found that a little comforting, if anything.

He stretched out his hand. Tae only stared at it, then at Isao.

"Come now, I'll bring you home." He said, smiling.

Her touch was about as light as a feather on Isao's calloused hand, and just when her hand was about to close in completely on his, her ears managed to pick up a sound from behind the bushes. It belonged to a man, and he was yelling. It seemed her companion heard that, too, judging from the protective stance he shifted to as he moved his head to search for that presence.

"E-sannnnnnn!"

"Eh?" the young lady managed to whisper as she stood up from her seat and took a step behind Isao for good measure.

From the dimly lit area of the park emerged Gintoki's form, shoulders hunched and was breathing heavily. He also didn't look pleased at all.

* * *

I was going to update earlier, but we haven't gotten our net connection (and phone line for that matter) back until today, which makes me happy (and I guess sad that I'm a little bit crippled without internet connection (TvT )).

Thank you for reading! :D


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